April Book Reviews
And just like that, April is gone. I only read three whole books last month, which is baffling even to me because I had a lot more time on my hands and the weather was 80% wretched with tons of rain and temperatures lingering in the 40s and 50s. You'd think I would have escaped it all by devouring books, but alas... my book stack for May is significantly thicker now - we'll see if I can catch up this month! Before we get there, though, I'll tell you about my April books.
One fiction, which I listened to on audiobook; two nonfiction, one on my Kindle and one in hard copy.
The Dinner List, Rebecca Serle
This was my book club choice, and what I liked most about it was the premise: If you could invite any five people in the world (dead or alive) to a dinner party, who would it be? (In case you're wondering, I decided mine would be a "Christian creatives" party, made up of Charles Dickens, Rich Mullins, Zachary Levi, Amy Carmichael, and Joni Eareckson Tada. Maybe I should write a story about that!) The narrator of this particular novel chose mostly people she knew personally, plus Audrey Hepburn. It was pretty serious and mostly sad and dealt with some hard emotional things, sort of like an intense counseling session. What really got interesting was when the reader slowly figures out which of the characters are actually alive or dead... It kept my attention, and I'm glad I read it, though it isn't my top pick.
Well, if you've ever read anything by Sally Clarkson before, then you already have a good idea of what this book is like. I enjoyed that her two daughters contributed to it, and I appreciate the stories they shared about their sweet friendships. In some ways, it reminded me of my own relationship with my mom, who is one of my very best friends in the world. And, like Sally's daughters, maybe I have a better grasp of healthy female relationships now because of my friendship with my mom and the friendships I've watched her cultivate with other women over the years. Joy and Sarah both share their "pro-tips" for building meaningful friendships with other ladies, and I laughed so much because they are things my caregiving community and I are already doing! So congrats, ladies, we're doing it right!
MY APRIL TOP PICK:
Refuse to be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts, Matt Bell
This was sort of an ironic read for me recently, because at the beginning of April *drum roll please* I finished my novel manuscript! Currently working on the publication process, more to come on that, hopefully soon. My "final draft," as it stands now, is the fifth major revision of the story in the past five years. It's 102,000 words and 350 pages. And every single time I dare to peek at it, I cannot help but make an edit. It's done, but something inside me knows it will never truly be done.
So, this book helped me process as I reached this long and life-altering goal. It's divided into three chapters, providing incredibly practical and helpful advice on writing three drafts of a novel. What blew my mind was that so much of what the author said, I had done! Not in the intentional, succinct way he recommended, but eventually I got there. It was so encouraging to me, because so much of the time I felt like I had no idea what I was doing and that I was a fraud and a failure. I researched my little brains to a fizzle, and still I was herding caffeinated cats when it came to developing my characters or arranging plot points. I'm not being dramatic - there should seriously be a support group for new novelists. And well, maybe this book is sort of it.
Matt Bell validated all my insanity, recognized the truly good and worthy work I had done, and then gave permission to rest, celebrate, and turn my attention to other things. He also gave a million excellent tips on how I could keep refining my craft, become a better wordsmith, and create better stories at the molecular level. I made tons of notes, especially from his third chapter (about the third draft), and intend to try as many of his exercises as possible.
I know it's a super-nerd book and probably not for everyone, but... if you are a writer or an aspiring novel author, you absolutely must get this book!
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